The first appointment:

Initially it is possible to book a free half hour consultation where we can meet prior to a decision being made about embarking on counselling or therapy.

This is a time for us simply to meet, perhaps for you to ask any questions you may have about my orientation, experience or training, and perhaps for you to outline the reasons for you considering counselling at this time.

The first counselling appointment frequently takes up to 1¼ hours and is an opportunity for the client and counsellor to assess together what is the best way forward.

Sometimes a specific number of appointments is decided upon, and the counselling may have the solution of a specific problem as its focus. Alternatively a more open ended “contract” will be formed where problems are long standing, complex, or the resources of the client are depleted for example.

Ongoing appointments are 50 minutes long.

Fees:

Individual appointments: Your first appointment which will last around 1 ¼ hours and subsequent 50 minute appointments are charged at £40 per appointment, payable by cash or cheque at the appointment, or by direct bank transfer 24 hours ahead or your appointment time. Or pay using Debit or Credit Card using the Pay Pal facility at the bottom of this page. Please enquire for details of reduced fees for the unwaged or those receiving a very low wage. Couple Appointments: Initially appointments are 1 ½ hours long and the fee is £60 per appointment, payable by cash or cheque at the appointment, or pay using Debit or Credit Card using the Pay Pal facility at the bottom of this page.

As stability is achieved within the resolution of difficulties, it may be possible to opt for 50 minute appointments which are charged at £40 per appointment Family Appointments: Please phone for full details.

Cancellation and Change of Appointments:

Please ensure you give me a minimum of 48 hours notice if you need to cancel your appointment so that you can avoid paying a fee for a missed appointment. If you need to change an appointment date at shorter notice, within the week of your appointment, I will always attempt to be flexible and change your appointment if at all possible. If this is possible, it would not entail the payment of a cancellation fee.

Me contacting you:

If I need to contact you, for example if I am ill, I will ring an agreed number. If it is necessary for me to leave a message I will simply leave my first name and ask that you to call me, “Hello, this is Hira, could you give me a call?” You may choose email contact rather than phone contact.

Confidentiality:

I will see you in my consulting room in Penzance, which is a discreet location with no Waiting Room.

Your appointments are confidential. No one will even know that you are seeing me unless you tell them. The only constraints on this are if I assess that you are a danger to yourself or to another – in this case I would always initially attempt to speak with you about my concerns before speaking with another professional about any further support which you may need.

What might be termed “extreme circumstances” are the only other reasons which would need me to contact another professional – ie: these would be you disclosing your plans for acts of terrorism, for example.